~ Chapter 4~

Welcome to the jungle we take it day by day

If you want it you're gonna bleed but it's the price to pay

And you're a very sexy girl that's very hard to please

You can taste the bright lights but you won't get there for free

In the jungle welcome to the jungle

Feel my, my, my serpentine

Ooh, I want to hear you scream

-Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N' Roses

[Hermione] (Year 3)

At the moment I was walking down Diagon Alley looking for Harry, Ginny, and Ron. We are supposed to meet here to buy our supplies for school. I was currently passing the window of a dressy robe shop when I hear a voice call my name.

"Hermione!" I turn to see Harry waving at me with Ginny and Ron at his side.

"Hey guys, how was your break?" I asked as they caught up to me.

"Hermione, you know my break was the same as always-"

"Horrible." Ron, Ginny, and I said in unison. All of us looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Our friendly conversation continued as we started walking again. Ron was in the middle of recounting a story of how he devoured a whole turkey by himself when we passed a store filled with different kinds of familiars. I was going to bypass it like every other time but something made me drag everyone inside. All of us were looking around but something drew me to a cat locked up near the back of the shop.

He looked like any other cat but his eyes made me believe that he was as smart, if not smarter, that the average human. His eyes portrayed intelligence that I've never seen in a cat before. Something about this cat was out of the ordinary and I was going to find out what. I waved the lady behind the counter over to where I was.

"I would like to purchase this cat please." I said politely. The cat's ears twitched as he focused on me intently.

"Ah, a very nice choice. When I found him out on the street some days back I knew that someone would come to appreciate him." She said as she waved her wand. A black leather collar appeared and she handed it to me.

"This is a magical collar. The collar will magically bind with your magic so in the case that he gets lost the person that finds him will be able to feel your magical signature on him and know who to return him to." She said as the collar started to glow. And just as quickly as it appeared it vanished. Waving her wand again caused the collar to float out of my hand and attach itself to the cat's neck.

"And how will you be paying today?" She asked. I pulled out my magical bank card and told her to charge the amount to it. She nodded and swiftly waved her wand.

"There all done. Thank you for your purchase" she said as she opened the cage.

The cat looked at me for a few seconds before he trotted over to the edge of the cage and hopped into my arms. I caught him and cradled him to my chest. I waved bye to the lady and walked out to find my friends waiting for me.

"Is that a cat? You know that I have Scabbers right? I hope that it doesn't eat him." Ron said as we continued walking.

"Yes I know that you have Scabbers. But I have a feeling that he wouldn't do that." I said as we ducked into the store to our left to get our school books.

(Back home: Hermione's room)

Once I said hello to my parents I went directly to my room. As soon as my door closed behind me I placed my new familiar on my bed. He sat nicely near the edge of the bed and stared up at me.

"I have a feeling that you are more than meets the eye." I said to him. His ears perked up and he trotted over to the edge where I was kneeling and placed his paw on my nose. My eyes widened and I looked into the cats eyes. And at that moment I realized why he was different. The intelligence in his eyes reminded me of whenever I see Minerva in her animagus. With that realization I went to fetch my parents.

"Wait here," I told the cat. "I'll find you some help." I ran down the stairs and found my parents in the library reading books.

"I need your help." I told them. Without question they both followed me up the stairs and into my room.

(Just to help you remember: Mom= Jill Granger/Meniscus, Clan leader Mother=Alice Granger/Meniscus, the one the sorting hat was talking about.)

"What is it Hermione?" Mom asked me.

"I think this cat is more than it seems. It was what drew me to him." I said. Mom kneels in front of him, just like I had done earlier, and looked at him closely. They both had a short staring match before mom stood up again.

"You are quite right, dear. He seems to be stuck in this form."

"Can you help him?" I ask.

"I believe so. Bring him down with us to the library." She said as she and mother headed out the door. My familiar jumped into my arms without prompting and I made my way down the stairs.

When we got there mom was already flipping through pages of an old family tome. She found what she was looking for and waved me over.

"I'm pretty sure that this spell will solve our little friend's problem. Place him in the middle of the floor." She said. I quickly did what I was told and stepped away to stand next to my mother.

She started to mutter something under her breath and he started to glow a light blue. He then started to slowly grow bigger and more humanoid. Finally at the end of the spell he was standing completely upright with no fur in sight. He stretched as if just waking up from a restful sleep. He was not bad looking by any standards. His long black hair was held in a ponytail and rested just below the shoulders. His eyes were a beautiful shade of emerald that reminded me so much of Minerva's. He was wearing simple black robes. When I looked closer I saw that the collar was still on his neck but had grown to accommodate his size. As I was looking him over, I realized something. This man was a lycan as well. Just as I thought this he got down on one knee and kneeled before us.

"I will forever be in your family's debt, my queen." He said with his head bowed. I looked over toward mom and noticed that she was in leader mode.

"What clan are you from?" She asked.

"The Plena Clan, my queen."

"You may stand." When he stood mom's countenance was that of a friendly parent.

"And what are we to call you?"

"My name is Magnus, my queen." He said.

"Well Magnus, you have a choice. Either you go on to live the life you've missed or you may stay here with the base section of my clan." Magnus looked toward me and answered.

"I would like to stay here." We locked eyes and I smiled. This was going to be the start of a lifelong friendship.

(Hogwarts Express)

Magnus and I became fast friends over the few days I had before I needed to return to Hogwarts. He had told me how he had become stuck in his animagus form. He had told me that in the war with Grindelwald he and his sister had been captured and tortured. They had been separated and he had been turned by a captured lycan. The young lycan had not been given Wolfsbane and he had turned during the full moon, affectively turning Magnus. Magnus said that when he had recovered they had cursed him to his animagus form and left him to fend for himself on the streets. When he mentioned Wolfsbane it made me realize how lucky I was to be born Lycan. Those born with the Lycan gene do not have to worry about the full moon.

(A/N: My Lycans are of course different than the Harry Potter ones. They look like the Underworld ones and they can change at will. They only thing that is basically the same is that the bitten wolves need Wolfsbane.)

Magnus had decided to come with me to Hogwarts as my familiar. He wanted to look after me after I told him of all the adventures that I've had at school. At the moment I was sitting in a compartment with Harry, Ron, and Ginny. Magnus was curled up in my lap as I stroked his fur. Harry and Ron were on the bench across from me while Ginny was sitting next to me on the other. Harry and Ron were talking about Quidditch, as always, while Ginny talked my ear off about everything under the sun. Sometime during our conversations Ginny's hand had come to rest on my thigh. Though I was slightly uncomfortable, I didn't want to say anything. As the train ride continued Ginny seemed to get closer to me and her hand was getting higher up my thigh. I was about to stop her assent in the guise of holding her hand when Magnus jumped up in my lap and started to hiss.

"What is it Magnus?" I asked.

(A/N: Whenever you see italicized letters it will be so that only Hermione can hear them unless I state other wise.)

"There is something outside." He said.

No one else could hear him but me. Magnus could make it so that only people that he wants to can hear him. He was going to say more but the door slid open violently and a dementor appeared. What was it doing here?

I slowly reached into my robe to get my wand. It seemed that everyone else was frozen in fear. When I grasped my wand in my hand I quickly whipped it out to point at the dementor.

"Expecto Patronum!" I yelled. A bright blue light spewed from the tip of my wand and my Patronus, a forest wolf, lunged at the dementor. It made an inhuman screeching noise before it disappeared back through the door. The wolf disappeared when I lowered my wand. The air was still for a few seconds before hell broke loose in the compartment. Harry and Ron were yelling questions at me while Ginny flung herself into my arms and grasped me tightly. She was shaking and was mumbling something about me saving her again. I returned her hug in an effort to calm her when a few teachers arrived at the compartment door. The man at the front spoke first.

"Are you all alright? What happened?"

"Mione cast a spell that made it run away." Ron said.

The man focused on me again and our eyes locked. Both of our eyes flashed in recognition. This man was a lycan. Why does this keep happening? Hogwarts must be a magnet for magical creatures. He was smart enough to not say anything of who I was.

"Is that so? Did you use Expecto Patronum?"

"Yes I did." I said.

"And where did you learn such a spell?" He asked me. I knew he knew how I had learned it, but of course, it was natural to ask such a question of a student.

"I read it in a book."

"That's our Mione for you! Always studying." Harry said.

The made it to its destination undeterred. The man had left us alone but I knew that another talk was in order in the future.

(Care of Magical Creatures class)

"Isn't he beautiful? Say hello to Buckbeak." Hagrid threw a dead animal to the Hippogriff. "This is a Hippogriff. The first thing you want to know is that Hippogriffs are very proud creatures, very easily offended. You do not want to insult a Hippogriff. It may very well be the last thing you will ever do. Now, who'd like to come and say hello?" everyone backed up until I was the one standing in the front. Thanks guys.

"Well done Hermione, well done." He said happily. "Now, you have to let him make the first move, it's only polite. Step up; give him a nice bow, and then you wait. And you see if he bows back." I stepped forward slowly.

"If he does then you can go and touch him. If not...well we'll get to that later. Well, make your bow." Buckbeak stopped moving and was currently staring at me. But before I could bow, he did first. The action made me blink a few times in surprise.

"You are her aren't you? I can feel it. It is an honor to make your acquaintance." He said as he lifted his head from the bow. I could hear murmurings from the rest of the class.

"...My, it seems like he likes you." Hagrid said in surprise. "I think he'll let you ride him now."

"What? No, Hagrid." I protested but it was too late, he had already placed me on Buckbeak.

"Just don't pull out his feathers; he won't like you for that." He told me before he slapped Buckbeack to get him moving. Once we were in the air I took the chance to talk to him.

"I don't understand what you mean by 'you are her'."

"Just as it sounds, you are her. You are the hope for all magical creatures. It is destined in the stars."

(Defense against the Dark Arts class)

"Luckily a very simple charm exists to repel a Boggart. Let's practice it now. Ah, without wands please. After me, Riddikulus."

"Riddikulus" The class repeated.

"Very good, a little louder, very clear- Riddikulus."

"Riddikulus."

"Very good. Now, so much for the easy part. You see, the incantation alone is not enough. What really finishes a Boggart is laughter. You need to force it to assume the shape you find truly amusing, let me explain."

After the Professor used Neville as an example the whole last went wild with laughter. The class was eager to try their hand at the Boggart. As one after the other went it made me wonder what mine would take the shape of. I knew I was no ordinary student at Hogwarts, I had no ordinary fears. I could name the most horrible and frightening things in the Wizarding World that many of my classmates would not even dream of. I was a Lycan, what could possible scare the beast inside me? What could frighten such a powerful being?

"Hermione, you're up." He said. As I walked up to the Boggart my beast was releasing waves of fear at me. It seems that there is something that scares the beast. It better not be a Vampire, that would be cliché.

Professor Lupin was looking at me strangely. His wolf likely could feel what was happening. I stopped right in front of the Boggart and it started to change. And what it settled on made my blood run cold, my mind blanked out. Minerva without her glamour was lying in a pool of blood on the classroom floor. There was no movement, the air was still. It was a few seconds until what was on the floor started to sink in. Minerva was dead. As the thought passed through my mind a sharp pain started in my chest. The pain was so great and so sudden that I fell to my knees on the floor. My movement sprung the professor to action.

"Riddikulus!" The horrible scene disappeared and the cabinet slammed shut. He kneeled before me.

"Are you alright, my princess?" He whispered to me.

"I am fine." I whispered back, my breath slightly labored.

"Class is dismissed. We'll continue this another day." He addressed the class as he helped me stand. The class slowly tricked from the room as the professor helped me to the infirmary.

(Hogsmeade weekend)

Madam Pomfrey had said that the pain I experienced was due to the shock and how frightened I was. Though I trust her medical skill I have a feeling that it was more than that. But of course she had no idea about my animal half so she didn't have the whole picture to begin with. I was shocked and scared but I shouldn't have felt that pain. I will need to conduct further study to come up with an accurate conclusion.

It was lucky that the Boggart had shown Minerva without her Glamour. Without her Glamour nobody knew who she was. I was safe from answering any questions from curious students.

Professor Lupin had stayed with me the entire time. When my visit to the infirmary was over I told him that I would come to talk to him during the upcoming Hogsmeade trip. This talk needed to be had just like the time with Minerva.

Magnus had decided to come with me so he was walking along beside me. I opened the door to the DADA class and found Professor Lupin leaning on his desk. When he saw me he started over to where I stood, locking the door and casting a silencing spell. Before he could do anything I beat him to the punch.

"I would like you to treat me like any other student or person. Though I am the future queen I feel like I have not gained that respect yet. Please treat me like any other person." I told him. He had stopped in his tracks when I started talking. He looked shocked at what I had just told him.

"What clan are you from?" I asked.

"I am of the Nova Cl-" Before he could finish his sentence Magnus switched to his human form and stood in front of me.

"You dare to stand before-?!" Lupin cut him off.

"Please let me explain! I have no desire to be in such a disgraceful clan but I have no choice."

"Yes, one has no choice when bitten. The bitten one will automatically become that of the changer." I said.

"Yes, precisely. Though I am of the Nova Clan I have the utmost respect toward the royal family. My beast protests but it concedes to the dominant existence. After all, it is my body." Magnus seemed to calm down after Lupin stopped his explanation.

"Please call me Hermione if we are alone or with Minerva. As you can tell Minerva is also a Lycan."

"Yes, please call me Remus when we are not in the public eye." He said with a smile.

(Whomping Willow)

I would have never guessed that Scabbers was an actual person. Every time I looked at that rat I never saw any intelligence in its eyes more than a rat should have. It made me realize that this 'Peter' fellow had a very low IQ. Almost made me feel sorry, almost. Sirius had turned out to be innocent and that Peter was the one that betrayed Harry's parents. It had also surprised me that Sirius and Remus had been friends in school.

We were exiting the Shrieking Shack out to the Whomping Willow when the moon came out. My beast rejoiced at the moon's rays. I was enjoying the surge of power when Remus started to shake.

"Remus my old friend, have you taken your potion tonight? You know the man you truly are Remus. This heart is where you truly live. This heart here." While Sirius was distracted he dropped his wand and Peter picked it up. Harry disarmed him but it was too late and he disappeared in his animagus form. Harry tried to go to go to them but I held him back.

"Run, Run!" Sirius screamed at us. Remus transformed fully and threw Sirius off.

"Come on." Harry said and started to turn to head to the castle.

"Wait! It is a bad idea to make any sudden movements. You will only excite the beast." I said, effectively stopping them. Before I could do anything more Remus lifted his head and howled to the moon.

"There you are Potter!" Professor Snape said as he crawled out of the entrance to the Shrieking Shack. Remus snarled and the professor turned around. When he spotted Remus he wrapped his arms around us as best he could from his position in order to provide some protection. Remus swiped at us and we all fell to the forest floor. Remus was about to come toward us when Sirius lunged at him in his wolf form. When we stood up again the professor resumed his stance in front of us. Sirius had led Remus away but Harry broke free from Professor Snape's man-made cocoon and ran after them.

"Get back here Potter!"

Harry threw a rock at Remus's head. Remus was about to attack him but a howling noise from the woods led him away.

(Infirmary...again)

We were here in the Infirmary again. Harry had only woken up a few moments earlier before Dumbledore and Minerva walked in. She looked really worried but when she realized that I was not hurt she softly smiled at me. At the moment we were trying to get Dumbledore to release Sirius.